Dave Richard

Before reading this blog, please read Peter King's latest story on what's going on with Brett Favre and the Packers right now (forgive me for linking off of CBSSports.com, to a competitor nonetheless, but it's required reading at this point).

Now then ... here's my educated but hardly enlightened guess on how this will play out:

Because it seems apparent that Favre has asked to return to the team, it's just a matter of time before his agent, James 'Bus' Cook, writes the Packers asking for him to be activated from the Reserve/Retired list.

When that happens, the Packers must activate him, trade him or release him. If they activate him, they own his rights and are on the hook for his $12.8 million salary ... unless they then trade him or release him. Both of those options are still available to them.

I expect that letter to be written, and when it is, I expect the Packers to activate Favre, and keep Favre.

There's all this talk about the Packers "moving forward" with Aaron Rodgers and drafting Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn. Yeah, I see that. But there's one thing -- one major thing -- that is more significant than all the wheelings and dealings around the NFL: Winning.

And if Favre is quarterbacking the Packers, they're going to win some games. Like 12 of them, if not more.

If Rodgers is quarterbacking them, they might win 10.

Head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson need to realize that Favre isn't the only "old man" on the team. Donald Driver, Al Harris, Charles Woodson and Chad Clifton are all in their 30s and are relatively close to the end of their respective careers. One last run for a Super Bowl ring might just be what this team needs before they rebuild -- especially if Favre's heart is in it.

The Packers keep Favre, extend Aaron Rodgers and promise that the job is his in 2009. Then they go all out to try and win in 2008. Heck, the Packers might pawn off a draft pick for DE Jason Taylor -- another "one more year" player -- and make a serious, serious run for the Super Bowl.

In fact, if Favre is back with the team before the open of training camp, then I'm going back to my original Super Bowl pick of Green Bay over Cleveland instead of Cleveland over Seattle/Minnesota.

And yeah, I'm drafting Favre with late-round picks in all the drafts I can get in right now.